The Ultimate Autobot Hunter: Part 2
2k5 2 - Wednesday, April 17, 2013, 7:36 PM ------------------------------------------ Rumors Message: 8/1 Posted Author Crystal City Counter-Intelligence Tue Apr 16 Anonymous ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Decepticon counter-intelligence agents have been hitting Crystal City hard, posing as potential recruits in order to worm their way into the Resistance. Some are carrying out overt acts such as intentionally sabotaging the Resistance's efforts, but others are simply keeping quiet and feeding intel back to the Decepticon Justice Division. Their credentials as citizens of Crystal City are of course impeccable, having been issued by the Ministry of Peace. In addition to the obvious threat of the Decepticons finding and terminating Resistance cells, there is a rising danger of paranoia hindering their efforts. That new microchip designer *could* be a citizen wanting to fight for his freedom... but is his story just a little *too* pat? That other Resistance cell *may* have just accidentally interfered with one of our operations due to one of their own... but maybe that's just part of their plan? What, share our plans with the other cells? With all the moles around... surely not. Autobot Intelligence may have some ideas of where this sudden influx of agents is coming from. Decepticon Message: 2/118 Posted Author Threefold Plan: Predaking Wed Apr 17 Shockwave ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ *** TEXT ONLY *** Decepticons, I have disassembled the Predacons and rebuilt them into a new Predaking. The old combination model designed by the Constructicons has always been flawed, both on a physical and mental level; no Combiner has ever reached the potential inherent in the design. This new iteration provides superior focus and perfected coordination. This is the next logical evolution for Gestalts. << attached is a recording within Shockwave's laboratory of a huge black and orange dragon having its head attached with Buzzkill's assistance. The new monster growls, glaring balefully at various assembled Decepticons. It moves in a beastly but agile manner that defies its great size. Although it eyes all the Decepticons, the creature focuses mostly on Galvatron, who glares right back at it. Anyone with emotion who looks into its glowing optics can see unbridled hatred there >> This is the final piece in a three part plan to put the Autobots back on the defensive. 1. Push the Autobot lines away from the Maintenance Center and back to their secondary outposts at Magnaron. This has been successful in isolating any Autobot attempts to provide logistical support for their operatives in Crystal City. 2. All Intelligence agents scouting our territory between Crystal City and Magnaron have been reassigned to Crystal City. This increased mechpower will allow us to infiltrate the Resistance and cripple their efforts. 3. The gap left by reassigning the agents has been filled by Predaking. He has been unleashed to hunt down and exterminate any enemy units operating behind our lines. In particular, the Predacons' tracking skills have been enhanced by their new design, and it will operate tirelessly to locate the Autobots' hidden bases and stop the so-called "underground railroad" allowing the Autobots and the Resistance access into and out of our city. - Shockwave Highroad What once was a splendid and grand highway has been shelled and bombed almost to the point of non-recognition. It is so cracked, potholed, and littered with debris that traveling it requires a great deal of coordination and even more concentration, a dangerous distraction when an attack could occur at any moment. The powerful bombs that hit this road so long ago were meant to cut off access to and from the city directly to the south. Contents: American LaFrance F Class Rescue Pumper <'Hot Spot'> Elita One Small Drone Autobot Sensor #7037 Hidden Pile of Scrap Obvious exits: Fly leads to Sky above New Cybertron Highway - Far East. North leads to New Cybertron Highway . South leads to Outskirts of Crystal City. <'Autobot'> A badly garbled distress call from one of the hidden outposts along the Highroad suddenly flashes across the Autobot broadband. That a hidden outpost is using an unsecure channel and that it's badly garbled are both unusual. <'Autobot'> Hot Spot says, "Groove, take your drum circles off the broadband." <'Autobot'> Hot Spot says, "We've spoken about this. At length." <'Autobot'> Elita One says, "Hold on, that's the wrong communique for Groove..." The base here was no more than a way station for Autobot infiltrators--one of many dotting the landscape. Disguised as one of the many abandoned multi-story buildings littering the side of the Highroad, the rough exterior hid the cache of supplies on the inside. Any Autobot who needed a place to restock or resupply could hide out here for a few hours before moving on. In the new era of Crystal City insurgency, the place gained new importance as a waypoint for Resistance members operating outside the city... as well as refugees trying to make their way to Iacon to start a new life. The humble outpost has withstood vorns of service, hidden away behind enemy lines. Now, however, the building stands in complete ruin. The smoke can be seen from way off in the distance, and it's clear the place has been burned to the ground. Outside of this, the surrounding area is untouched and completely deserted. One would expect at least the odd Empty of turbofox prowling the area, but right now there is nothing outside of some litter blowing down the road. Elita One moves to kneel, her breastplate swings up on both sides, her arms retract, slipping behind her as she sinks down. A windshield rises up at the end, covering her face as she turns into a futuristic car. Not long after receiving the distress call, a team was ordered out to investigate the base. Taking the lead of this small expedition is the Femme Commander herself, as this falls under Intelligence's heading. Approaching the scene, she calls back to Hot Spot. <> She transforms into her Bot mode, then climbs atop part of the ruins. <> A frown crosses her face as she looks back to her teammate, <> She hops off the highest point to examine the immediate area, <> The futuristic car breaks open in the middle, as the legs form upward. Her hood shifts into her armor plating with her arms coming together at the last, turning into Elita One's robot mode. American LaFrance F Class Rescue Pumper <'Hot Spot'> is less subtle than Elita when it comes to approaching a large burning building. The sirens aren't screaming, but lights are flashing as Hot Spot speeds up, roaring past Elita. He transforms, leaping into the air and landing his most dramatic fire extinguishing pose. Hands roll back into his wrists, replaced by nozzles, taking on some of the few remaining, well, hot spots. "I won't trust life sign scanners in a region like this, Elita. If there's the slightest chance of a survivor inside, I have to find them." Hot Spot transforms into his ROBOT MODE! Protectobots assemble! The first thing one notices upon entering the area is the lingering effects of a powerful jamming field. It's much weaker now than it would have been at its peak, but communications over the Autobot broadband may still have a rough crackle to it. As Elita One and her team approach the structure, the signs of a violent battle are all there. Glowing embers still litter the area, and smoke continues to pour from the wreckage. Melted support struts lay on the ground, now fused permanently with Cybertron's metal surface. It's still very warm here--almost uncomfortably so for the non-'Hot Spot's of the world. There's a good chance that moving through the wreckage may cause what's left of the place to collapse entirely, but someone of Hot Spot's rescue oriented knowledge should be able to manage if he's careful. Sky Lynx descends from the Sky above New Cybertron Highway - Far East above. Sky Lynx has arrived. He's not running late, he's arriving precisely on time. Sky Lynx rockets along after making sure the defenses at Magnaron are shored up to last before responding to the distress call, his optical visor glowing brightly as he surveys the ground below. The landscaping is the most disturbing part of it all, though. He lands next to Elita One, making a quick assessment of gathered forces while offering each friendly face a curt nod in greeting. "Elita One, Hot Spot, good to see you both on sight so swiftly." He surveys the scene from ground level. "Well, this is certainly foreboding. Was anyone able to make proper sense of the distress call?" Elita One kneels down, putting her hand to the slagged ground. "Go ahead, Hot Spot. Healthabots, assist him. You know the drill." She looks up as the welcome shadow of Sky Lynx descends. "Sky Lynx, did you see what happened here? We managed to get a distress signal on an off-channel through." Her receptors flicker as she gazes at the sky, "I'm surprised they managed to get any transmissions. Something was blocking them." She rubs at the near molten metal, wincing at the heat. "Alright, it's apparent that fire or plasma was used here, so it could've been missiles, but there's little signs of explosions...at least from down here." She steps away from the wreckage as the rescue team does its work, "This reminds me more of the Dinobots style of breaking..." Hot Spot doesn't respond to Sky Lynx. It's not rudeness, it's just that there is protecting to be done. "Highmark, I want you up top- those main supports could come down any minute. Make sure they hold. Anthem, Emblem, you're heading in with me. Blue Cross, Humana- assist Elita in setting up a perimeter. We don't know if we're alone." And with that, followed by two of the Healthabot femmes, Hot Spot plunges into the building. With Hot Spot's Protectobot know-how leading the way (and the Healthabots managing to not foul things up with their inferiority), he's able to work his way into the ruined base. At several points, the remaining support struts keeping the ceiling up threaten to buckle, but by slowly trying other methods they make their way in. The interior of the base is ruined, with all the supplies and furnishings melted into goo. Three bodies are present--all clearly offline. The first is red mech, hands curled into fists, with what looks like an Earth sports car alt mode. The other two have Cybertronian modes, but it's impossible to tell without further investigation inside. The base is small, and three inhabitants seems reasonable for its function. If there was anyone else in here, they've been buried underneath tonnes of rubble. "Dinobot?" Lynx pauses, his processors churning as he leans in to take a look at the wreckage. "Not one of ours... Who do the Decepticons have that would act like this?" His visor dims as he studies the marks...and suddenly he freezes in place for a moment. "Not missiles. Not missiles at all..." He makes his way over towards one of the hot patches and hovers a foot over it to gauge its size. "The scoring looks to be claws...the impressions are tracks. Elita One, what records do we have of larger Decepticons?" Hot Spot knows dead when he sees it, but the Protectobot checks for vitals, regardless. He recognizes one of the Cybertronian alt bots, however. "Rift. Damn shame. Would of made a solid Autobot once the Crystal City movement was over." He gestures, and Anthem transforms into her Swat truck mode. Emblem begins loading the bodies in the back. "Head back out. I'm going to poke around a little more." And so he does. Elita One turns back to Sky Lynx after his analysis. She gestures to Humana absently, "Keep a watch out, sooner we know what did this, the sooner we know what to look for." She approaches Lynx, then kneels all CSI style. "I was almost going to suggest Insecticons, but there's far too much here uneaten, but it would explain the lack of bodies." She gestures to Lynx' foot, "Ones that can do this? Not many, Carnivac or the other Con Pretenders perhaps, but these marks are quite large. Either Shockwave has some new Primus-Forsaken monstrosity, or we're looking at a Combiner team." She puts a hand to her head, <> "Sky Lynx, can you make anything of that jamming screen? There's got to be something here we can use." She growls, stepping away. "This is just senseless, this was done for mayhem, for ruin." <'Autobot'> Elita One says, "The Outzzzt is dzzzlished, zzz assailant, but so zzzz surzzz fouz.zzz planned hit zz sure, zzz jamming zzzz present." <'Autobot'> Whirl says, "Oh no! Bees have infiltrated our channel!" Blurr has arrived. Combat: Sky Lynx compares his Technical to 70: Failure :( Checking for vitals only confirms what the Protectobot would have guessed: all three are dead. The two Healthabots nod to Hot Spot, knowing better than to challenge his mighty Protectobot wisdom. Soon they're dragging out the three bodies into the open. All three are in varying degrees of melted and charred. The red sports car mech has an Autobot insignia on his chest plate, though nobody immediately recognizes him. Drift and the other Cybertronian are both displaying Crystal City identification labels, though they're obscured thanks to being partly burned off. Back inside, Hot Spot confirms that there are no others present. There is, however, still one piece of still-functioning equipment. Hidden in a heat resistant safe is a mechanical device about the size of a Transformer-scale bowling ball. It's been partly damaged. For those just joining us, Elita One, Sky Lynx, Hot Spot, and four Healthabots are at a small hidden Autobot base that's been used as a way station for operatives. The building has been burnt to the ground and three bodies have been recovered. Sky Lynx hmms. "Combiner team? What sort of team could do this? The claws, the tracks..." He keeps any further thoughts to himself before Elita's request registers. "Nothing...specific. It appears diminished, though." He looks over at Hot Spot's efforts. "Let's...make sure we collect names." He continues to listen to the conversations around him, but his attention remains fixated on the destruction as he follows the tracks, stepping along the sides of them so as not to disturb them. "We should also get one of the scouts in to get a good look at these." Elita One suddenly pauses, getting back on +a as she steps away from the others for the moment. <> She turns around a moment later, "If what was here left so quickly then it must've had other objectives in mind, or it retreated....this was totally one sided from what I can tell, so either it is a vulnerable weapon that needed to return back, a one-shot weapon of some sort...or it moved on to press the attack." She spares a glance to the charred corpses, slagged and ready to be scrapped. She pauses, taking note of them, their loss, then moves on. From her datapad she starts to bring up the holomap of the area, "Not all the boltholes in this area are in use, at least to my knowledge, but we might be forced to check them out for more information." <'Autobot'> Elita One says, "Requesting clandestzzzz operations in the zzz to halt. Go to ground zzzbots." "Well, hello." Hot Spot opens the safe, gingerly removing the roboball. He takes a last look around, and heads for the exit. Once outside, he heads for Elita and Lynx. "One survivor," he calls out, holding up the ball. <> He stops in front of Elita. "What's our play, XO?" Combat: Sky Lynx compares his Technical to 50: Success! Combat: Elita One compares her Technical to 50: Success! Combat: Hot Spot compares his Technical to 50: Success! The ball Hot Spot has recovered is obviously a holo-projector. It's been partly burned, but with a few adjustments it should be easy to repair--so easy that /anybody/ could do it, apparently. There's a flashing light on the side of the ball indicating one stored message. Meanwhile, sporadic messages are sent back to Elita One acknowledging the order to go to ground. Not all bases check in, though. Is that because of the lingering jamming effects, or something else? Blurr has just gotten word about the destruction of the Highroad outpost. He'd been lying on a berth in the repair bay at Iacon, recovering from the damage he'd taken from Cuprahex. Immediately, he'd taken off for the scene of the crime, to assist in the investigation despite the medics' protests. The speedy courier had actually made use of that waystation several times himself, as he'd been sent to retrieve intel from resistance contacts in Crystal City on many occasions, to escort refugees to Iacon, among other things. A sonic boom can be heard in the distance as he approaches, and an instant later he's standing next to Elita One, surveying the damage. "Elita One." he says, saluting sharply. "What's the sitrep? Oh, and have you gotten a chance to look at the data I got from Cuprahex?" he asks, wondering what she might have gotten out of it. Elita One puts a hand to her chin in thought. "Holoprojector. With luck, it'll show us what happened." She motions to the building, "It survived the heat, did it? Must be a miracle in itself. Hot Spot, try to get it back online." She turns upon hearing the sonic boom. Instantly the first thought was of Seekers, enough that her weapon comes to hand before Blurr is noted. " Sky Lynx gives Elita One a sharp look at her conclusion. "The lines at Magnaron could be hit. We need to find out what this is before that happens. What is the nearest safehouse to here that may be targetted next?" He forgets his own tracking for now, especially when mention of a survivor comes from hot Spot. All focus shifts towards the sphere. "Turn it on...perhaps they recorded something of use prior to-" Sonic boom...ugh, too much at one time. Sky Lynx turns his attention towards Blurr, giving him a nod. Hot Spot goes to work activating the holo projector. And then he gets finished with that work and turns it on. Elita One puts a hand to her chin in thought. "Holoprojector. With luck, it'll show us what happened." She motions to the building, "It survived the heat, did it? Must be a miracle in itself. Hot Spot, try to get it back online." She turns upon hearing the sonic boom. Instantly the first thought was of Seekers, enough that her weapon comes to hand before Blurr is noted. "Blurr, we've lost contact with some of the other local outposts, we need eyes. Whatever did this was deadly, don't put yourself at risk, but we need information." At Sky Lynx' request, she draws up the map in the shelter of the ruined building, even here and now, she seems apprehensive to post all the locales she's helped arrange over the eons. "Assuming that it was either Insecticons or a combiner, and assuming that it flies..." She motions to a few trajectories, "Here, here, here and here are the 'en route' choices towards Magnaron..." Hot Spot activates the projector, and instantly a crackling hologram appears just above it. Though the battered device gives the image a blue tint, it's obviously the same Autobot as the red sports car robot Hot Spot and the Healthabots recovered. He's slumped over slightly, though against what isn't clear as the holo-projector doesn't include it. The hologram speaks with a halting, pained voice. "This is Oneway reporting from, *ack*, Highroad outpost number six. We've been attacked by some Decepticon creature--or at least I assume it's Decepticon. It headed straight for the base without pause or even trying to disguise its intention. I don't know how it even knew we were here, but it spewed intense flames us. The base almost came down in the first volley." Oneway pauses and glances at something off screen. "Just hold tight!" he shouts at someone. "I'll be right there." He looks straight ahead again. "The creature dropped some kind of device right after it first hit us. I can't see from here but I think it might be a covert scanner. Whatever it is, it also put out a jamming field that we weren't able to cut through, so I'm recording this message. I'm... nrgh, I'm going to shunt all reserve power in the base to the comm array and try to get off a distress call, but I don't know if it'll work. If it doesn't, hopefully whoever finds this message is an Autobot." The mech takes his rifle off his back, looking again at something off screen. "Until all are one," he says. The hologram switches off. Off in the distance, there's a roar, followed by something large and winged appearing on the horizon. Monster Predaking has arrived. You drop Monster Predaking. Blurr nods. "So I heard." She's ignored his question about the data from Cuprahex, but it seems he'll have to ask about that later. He watches at the holo-vid plays, guessing that the recording was found on-site. "That...doesn't look good. Well, at least the 'Cons didn't get to this first," he remarks when the message has finished playing. Turning to Elita One, "So you want me to scout ahead, check on the outposts that haven't responded?" Sky Lynx only had to hear Covert Scanner to turn his attention away from the projector. "Steel yourselves. I do believe we just found out we are prey. Elita One, do you have anyone that can make sure that projector and a message makes its way to the other outposts and Magnaron? Any word we send may very well be delayed." Lynx takes a few steps forward, planting himself as he scans the horizon, spying the figure. "Have Hot Spot's team stay their charges, rig them, we may be able to use them as a trap. And find that scanner...the more we know about their cloaking, the better we can prevent these nonsensical traps in the future." Sky Lynx roars back. Because...roar. Elita One raises a hand almost dismissively to Sky Lynx, "Whatever it is, it is breaking up, probably almost out of power or...." She turns her head a hair at the echoing roar in the distance. Slowly she turns about then actually steps forward closer to the figure on the horizon. <> she says softly, accidentally putting her words on the Autobot frequency. "That's...Predaking? No...no, it's a creature, it's different." She squints as she surveys the behemoth, "It was an ambush...the clever hunter baits the trap with what its prey most desires." Her voice rings out in a more clarion call, "Brace for attack, Autobots." She gestures to the abomination, "It's got size and speed on us, and there's not much in the way of cover here. We're almost guaranteed we'll have to fight." She holds a hand up behind her towards the Healthabots, "Healthabots, pull back from the field, take the holoprojector. There should be an underground tunnel two clicks over, look for a tiny beacon on frequency etnas. Command needs to know what we found." She exhales slowly, "Bots, I don't blame you if you want to scatter, but..." A flash of energy forms before her as a large energon harvester (with variant enclosed disc over the barrels) appears in her hands, "but its coming either way, we fight together, or we fight alone..." <'Autobot'> Elita One says, "Oh...oh no...." Predaking is flying at maximum speed, wings unfolded and casting two dim shadows on the passing terrain thanks to Alpha Centauri's two suns. It could outpace a Seeker, and now it's speeding straight for the outpost. It is a creature of instinct, and leaving a scanner behind to alert it of any additional trespassers is just one of those ingrained into his programming. Elita One has deduced the tactic bang on. Its neck glows, rising from its belly to its mouth before spewing huge gouts of flame at the base. Fire roars up from the ground wherever it strikes, running towards the Autobots. Highmark dives out of the way just in time, escaping the melted crack that now passes where she was just standing. Firing off a quick nod to Elita One, the Healthabots begin to pull back. As Predaking passes by after its initial strafing run, it cranes its neck back, staring at the largest (and loudest!) Autobot present. Its optics narrow as it sees Sky Lynx as something that must be torn from limb to limb. Something about Sky Lynx in its core programming does not sit well with it. <'Autobot'> Elita One says, "I doubt Sky Lynx is going to let that happen, Blurr. The two immediately went to engage, it's got to be Sky Lynx that decides that..." <'Autobot'> Sky Lynx says, "Do what you must, I will get him there as best I can and preoccupy his attention. Perhaps find a weakness in his armor that can be exploited and use my diversion to plant an explosive." Combat: Elita One compares her Agility to 80: Success! Combat: Sky Lynx compares his Agility to 80: Success! Combat: Cybertronian Hovercar <'Blurr'> compares his Agility to 80: Success! The hovercar quickly unfolds upward and outward to reveal the fastest terrestrial Cybertronian in the galaxy, Blurr! Repugnus has arrived. Combat: Elita One compares her Agility to 800: Failure :( Sky Lynx growls at mention of Predaking, pushing back as wings and engines alike kick in to pull him out of the way of the onslaught. "Hahah! And here I thought I'd not have the chance to best you again! Can't say I approve of the new look, though!" He opts to not give the beast a chance to react accordingly, taking up pursuit and answering fire with fire as he unleashes a gout of flame towards the beast, charging headlong into the fray. Combat: Sky Lynx compares his Accuracy to 60: Success! Combat: Sky Lynx compares his Strength to 85: Success! Combat: Sky Lynx compares his Firepower to 85: Failure :( Elita One leaps out of the way of the nuclear fire, "MOVE!" she yells moments before the burst of fire carves a furrow into the planet itself. "Shelter, now!" She takes refuge up against the ruins, then glances inside. <<'Sky Lynx', the controlled demo is partially set inside, I can bring down the building on him if he gets here. We'll take him out together." She mutters to herself softly, "Huh...together, against a Combiner team..." With a bit of disbelief and perhaps fear, she swings the weapon about from her place against the ruined wall. The *Energon Scrambler*. A subversive weapon from the great war itself, recreated by Elita One's Forge. The weapon hums to life, sending crackles of energy forward, the disc starts to spin wildly, taking the harvester's power, scrambling it into a sapping blast to Predaking's energon supply! Combat: Elita One compares her Accuracy to 60: Success! Fire spews into the ruined complex, but Blurr easily avoids the blast. Predaking may be fast, but being that large he can't possibly be as agile as Blurr! He smirks as he watches the others do the same, and the combiner's flames only manage to burn the already-charred walls of the outpost. "Ha!" he taunts. "Fat lot of good that did, you oversized animal!" The speedster shakes a fist at this, and doesn't take cover as ordered--he has a different idea. <> Blurr answers Elita. <> If Predaking has any knowledge of its previous self (selves?) it doesn't show it. It answers Sky Lynx not with words but by angling itself to turn around. It sees that several of its targets are already scattering and some are hiding amongst the ruins. Only two still confront it openly. It is unconcerned, however, as it's gotten each of their scent and can chase them from here to... Predaking actually isn't sure. Overriding programming by Shockwave ensures that it stays in this area, though the monster can't understand why this is. Instead of thinking about that, Predaking turns its attention back to Sky Lynx. It has never squared off against something so large and imposing. Its bestial mind almost considers the Autobot to be another Galvatron--something to be torn down during its ascent to absolute supremacy. The flame burst from the Autobot strikes it dead on, as Predaking doesn't even try to evade. It hasn't faced anything that could hurt it before, and as its ultra-hard armouring protects it, Predaking suspects it still hasn't. Roaring its rage against Sky Lynx, Predaking charges, front claws reaching out as it pulls up at the last second, grabbing onto Sky Lynx with its front claws in order to pull him in. Once snagged, it begins to rake Sky Lynx with its back claws, trying to tear off chunks of blue armour. Then the energon harvester hits it dead on, and Predaking slumps, grasp weakening and wings flapping violently. This could be Sky Lynx's chance to make his move, if he hasn't already! Combat: Sky Lynx compares his Strength to 110: Failure :( Combat: Sky Lynx compares his Strength to 75: Success! Metal armor lets out an earpiercing shriek as claws rend into it, energon starting to seep. <> Initially, the grip is surprisingly strong, though with Elita's shot, Lynx takes the opportunity to twist in Predaking's grasp, turning his jaws on the beast's neck in only the most wonderfully predatory strikes known: going for the throat. Time to show the oversized whelpling what he's been missing out on during his absence. And little does anybody know that Repugnus has been stalking Elita One for some time now, but his slow pace means that he's only recently caught up to her. That suits Repugnus fine--generally speaking, he catches up to whatever he's following sooner or later. And the fact that he can sense just about anybody well before they can sense means that he doesn't have to be terribly stealthy, either--it's usually enough to stay out of view from a long distance. That is why Repugnus is here now, in monster mode, gazing through the windows of a shattered wall up at a much bigger monster. "*Wow*. Predaking, I dig the new look!" he mutters to himself. "Hmmm, but I'm going to guess that if this was an upgrade, that means you're more powerful than ever..." He watches Sky Lynx breathe fire at it. "...and Sky Lynx is as much of a dumbass as ever. But maybe I can compensate for that!" And so the Monsterbot tries scanning the monstrosity in the whole electromagnetic spectrum available to him! <'Autobot'> Repugnus says, "Sky Lynx! Good news! I just scanned that creature--I'm in the area--and I have concluded that this is in fact Predaking. The bad news is that even my best scans are not penetrating his armor. That means his armor is incredibly dense, and, uh, maybe you should think about getting the hell out of there? Because from my scans, I'd say this guy is nearly indestructible. Hm. Well. There might be one weakness--his antigravs seem to be in his wings. But those are solid bits of engineering, too." <'Autobot'> Sky Lynx says, "Me? Retreat?" There's a pause. "Hah... the lot of you first, I'll not be the one leading a retreat here today." <'Autobot'> Elita One says, "Retreat won't matter if he is upon us. I'll switch back to my scrambler for one last shot, then we'll blow him up solid. Blurr, got anything to help get him grounded?" <'Autobot'> Repugnus says, "You dummies. You can scramble his circuits, sure. Maybe get him off-balance. But kill him? You probably won't. Unless, I dunno, you bolted on more armor or something. That might give you a few more seconds before he incinerates you. You probably wouldn't look very fashionable, though." <'Autobot'> Elita One says, "Always the optimist, Repugnus. Should I ask why you're out here in the wastes?" <'Autobot'> Blurr says, "It could trap him, or knock him into stasis lock." <'Autobot'> Repugnus says, "Why, I'm just your friendly neighborhood monster!" Cassette Tape plays "Flight of the Valkyries" to announce Buzzkill's arrival. <'Autobot'> Elita One says, "Explosion imminent, Sky Lynx. Brace yourself" <'Autobot'> Repugnus says, "Henh. You know, my claws are made of some of the hardest stuff around... maybe I got a shot at peeling open that armor?" Elita One swaps out the scrambler. The weapon was wonderfully wicked, and great for subdual, but it lacked the punch of others. Her firepower itself had to manifest in other ways. "Blurr, Can you get a sonic boom worked up?" Her battle pistols appear in her hands as she steps out, explaining, "Carnivac has great senses too, ears and nose. Flares and Sonic should help disorient him for Sky Lynx." She aims for Predaking's head, with Sky Lynx' great jaws grasping at him, it's an easy target to make. All she can do for now is disorient the beast, but that's a definite advantage to have. Combat: Sky Lynx compares his Strength to 85: Failure :( Combat: Bug Creature <'Repugnus'> compares his Technical to 60: Success! Combat: Elita One compares her Accuracy to 60: Success! There's a great big ball of claws and wings floating in the sky. For its part, Predaking's huge wing-span is being used to ensure it and Sky Lynx don't plummet to the ground, though it's reasonably confident that it would be the Autobot crushed to death and not it. Its neck begins to glow again as energon starts pumping through its systems, trying to revitalize its strength. This weakness gives Sky Lynx the chance to gets his jaws in and snap at the glowing parts. Predaking roars. Pain is something it knows! Pain is something it understands! The neck armour threatens to buckle but manages to hold firm. Shockwave apparently knew full well what the potential weak spots would be on this monster, and sought to reinforce it. Filled with rage, Predaking acts out on instinct, charging its flame breath and spewing fire at Sky Lynx at point blank range. A more cautious warrior would wait until it had fully recovered from Elita's harvester, but this animal is not cautious. Hit or miss, Predaking looks past Sky Lynx towards the gnats on the ground. Usually by this point there's only charred remains standing against it, but now there's *more* prey? Clearly Sky Lynx must be done away with quickly so it can finish its task. This becomes harder as a flare strikes it square in the face. Predaking spews fire again, but this time blindly and in Elita One's general direction. The results of Repugnus's scan is telling. The electromagnetic readings are conclusive: It /is/ Predaking, albeit horribly altered. Outside of the paint scheme, there's not much to its exterior that resembles the normal Combiner. Combat: Sky Lynx compares his Strength to 85: Success! Combat: Elita One compares her Agility to 40: Success! Blurr grumbles at this situation. To him, it's clear that he should bait Predaking, get him to be so determined to crush the speedster that he forgets any of the others are there. Shouldn't too hard, what with the combiner's bestial mindset. He might have had some kind of upgrade, but it was looking as if it wasn't in the way of intelligence. Eh...oh well. But then Elita One has another idea. "Oh, I can do ansibetter than that!" He transforms and begins driving in a circular pattern around the ruined outpost, breaking the sound barrier within astroseconds. The sonic booms Elita had asked for direct themselves at the combiner, bombarding him relentlessly. And...there's also the fact that the structure has been decimated--thus there is a lot of ash and debris on the ground, which gets kicked up in a mad flurry like a miniature supersonic dust storm. Hopefully this will take care of the disorienting! There are benefits to being so close to one's prey, and the Lynx is not about to let go of his particular stronghold. He jerks to the side, relenting his grip on the beast's neck, and pays little mind to the blast of searing heat that rushes by him. An opportunity comes, though, and taking advantage of Elita One's flares to he moves to reposition himself. Rolling his body, Sky Lynx makes the attempt to get behind the beast, or at the very least position himself to take a nice chomp out of those wings that are so wonderfully adept at keeping it, along with Lynx' weight, aloft. If it weren't for the fact his mouth is doing all of the work, there would probably be a witty retort about 'being grounded' in there. Elita One takes a kneeling position as Blurr starts to speed up. <<'Sky Lynx', we're doing what we can. You can make it, we've got faith in you.>> Out of the dust and debris comes a retaliation strike of flame and fire! From her kneeling position, Elita One manages one of her trademark high leaps, tumbling forward as she goes. Her plasma cannon comes to her hands as she lights on a structural post. ((She actually does this in Search for Alpha Trion, and grabs a missile as she does it!)) "Come on then, you mindless beast!" She lines up her cannon on Predaking's head again...and then a most interesting transmission comes in from Repugnus. "Wings, right..." Her aim shifts to the less-blocked wing, plasma roars... Combat: Sky Lynx compares his Accuracy to 60: Failure :( Combat: Elita One compares her Accuracy to 60: Success! Combat: Elita One compares her Firepower to 85: Failure :( WHOOSH!! Blurr runs round and round, and soon all the ash and soot from the ruined base is up in the air, playing havoc with everyone's optics. Predaking has other senses, though, and it can still /smell/ each of you. Still, this tactic confuses it. The old Predaking would see right through it and recognize what Blurr was doing, but the improved model can't even tell that the Autobot speedster is the cause of it, let alone how he's doing it. Predaking and Sky Lynx continue to grapple with one another in the air, with Predaking biting, snapping, clawing, and spewing flames at every chance it gets. If there's a pleasure centre to its primitive brain, it would be centred on activities like this. Eventually, the monster gains the upper hand, smacking Sky Lynx's head back before it can get chomped. Grabbing him with all four claws, Predaking lashes forward to tear the Autobot's throat. Just before its teeth can sink in, a shot ricochets off one of its wings, knocking Predaking off balance. Though its armour holds, Predaking's wings flap violently in an attempt to keep both it and Sky Lynx's weight off the ground. This lasts for several seconds before both plummet downwards, with Predaking trying to make sure Sky Lynx is at the bottom. The entire Highroad sector shakes at the impact, with one of the two combatants getting the worse of it. Even if it is Predaking, he tries to see through the dust to spray flames in the direction of the remaining Autobots. Combat: Sky Lynx compares his Strength to 105: Failure :( Combat: Elita One compares her Agility to 60: Success! Combat: Blurr compares his Agility to 60: Success! Combat: Elita One compares her Accuracy to Blurr's Agility: Failure :( This...is going to hurt. Lynx is so focused on getting his throat out of biting range that he hardly notices the drop in altitude until he's got the massive hulk of Predaking atop him and Cybertronian turf melding itself with his armor platings. The loud crack upon impact, coupled with the sound of protesting metal under stress, can only begin to hint at the damage done. He's dazed, to say the least, but the chirp of his comms snaps him out of it and he does what he can to grapple and hold the massive bot in place. <> He even goes so far as to level another gout of flame directed at Predaking's face just to remind the nasty brute he's still there and worth chomping on. <> Elita One rushes to the far side of the building's ruins, ducking the firebreath as she goes. Sky Lynx is taking a beating, though he won't admit it. She palms a small detonator, eyeing the two kaiju's rolling and wrestling. She watches with bated breath, looking for that moment, that moment when Predaking starts to roll over atop. THAT is when his wings are exposed the most, and thus deliver the most damage. Even as she swaps weapons again for her scrambler, holding it off to the side, Elita calls out on +a <>. The building was initially set to be a controlled explosion, but the job wasn't finished. With some quick mental calculations, Elita One hits the detonator, sending the building down. Smoke and debris fill the air again... And now that Predaking is on the ground, Repugnus finally bursts from cover, rushing towards the monster, claws out. "Alright, Predaking, time to see what you're made of! Don't worry, Sky Lynx, I got this, you can run home now!" That's actually somewhat insincere--he's mostly saying that to piss off Sky Lynx more than anything. Even so, the Monsterbot rushes up to Predaking and tries to slash his neck with his razor-sharp claws. But will they do any good at all? Combat: Sky Lynx compares his Strength to 105: Success! Combat: Sky Lynx compares his Accuracy to 60: Success! Combat: Sky Lynx compares his Firepower to 85: Success! Blurr continues to run. Debris and shrapnel fly up, fall down, and then fly up again in a mad cycle. Predaking had only gotten the edge of it when he'd been in the air, but now that he's hit the ground he's in the thick of it! And all the fire breath doesn't help either! In fact, as the fire pierces through the dust-laden atmosphere, millions of tiny bits of dust and shrapnel explode into flames, catching the very air around them on fire! "Slag it!" Blurr shouts, and dives toward the ground to avoid getting scorched as a fiery chain reaction is set off. Combat: Elita One compares her Technical to 85: Success! Combat: Bug Creature <'Repugnus'> compares his Accuracy to 60: Success! Combat: Bug Creature <'Repugnus'> compares his Strength to 85: Failure :( Predaking smashes into the ground with Sky Lynx beneath it. The monster takes the time to raise its head to the sky and roar triumphantly, grinding Sky Lynx into the proverbial dirt (and literal ground) with its fore claws. It isn't long before it finishes its celebration and decides to get down to the business of tearing out Sky Lynx's circuitry, one wire at a time. Lowering its head and baring its teeth, Predaking rips off a chunk of shuttle-white metal just before Sky Lynx shows he still has life left in him. Caught off guard, Predaking wrestles with the Autobot on the ground, trying to keep him down with one foot while maneuvering its neck and head to fire more flame bursts, but Sky Lynx gets the upper hand, firing a split second before it can. The flame strikes the monster's neck just as it was charging up, sending feedback running through its body. Predaking hisses angrily, raising one claw so it can start battering Sky Lynx back into the ground. Twisted into an awkward position, though, Predaking catches the full force of the perfectly executed explosion. The remains of the base collapses, and thick chunks of shrapnel rip into Predaking's belly and wings, tearing the latter to shreds. Predaking rears backwards, armour torn up and wings ruined. Even Repugnus, though unable to break the neck armour with his claws, forces Predaking stumbling backwards like a wounded dog. Now off Sky Lynx, Predaking tests his wings and finds them no longer able to support him. Furious and hurt, he sprays flames back towards the Autobots. <'Autobot'> Elita One says, "I'll..*cough* hit him with the scrambler, that'll give him pause, but I think we need to make our exit then, Bots." <'Autobot'> Repugnus says, "It's no use! Haha, always wanted to say that." <'Autobot'> Repugnus says, "And, eh, no comment!" Combat: Elita One compares her Agility to 85: Failure :( Combat: Sky Lynx compares his Agility to 85: Success! Combat: Bug Creature <'Repugnus'> compares his Agility to 85: Failure :( <'Autobot'> Elita One says, "Uaghahhhhh!" <'Autobot'> Repugnus says, "Aaahhh, I'm melting, what a world what a world! Hahahaha!" <'Autobot'> Elita One says, "Bots....we..we gotta roll out of here...I'll stall him *wheeze* a bit first." <'Autobot'> Sky Lynx says, "Every*zzzzzt* get out. He c*ccrrrrrkkkl* pursue. That means *sssssth* Elita One." <'Autobot'> Repugnus says, "Kay, time to bail for reals." <'Autobot'> Sky Lynx says, "I do recall giving th-*zzzzapt-sssshhhhhhhhshhhhhhshhhh*" <'Autobot'> Repugnus says, "Yeah, you did. So you could be the hero. Well, I'll make sure they put 'hero' somewhere on your tombstone, you dunce." A loud roar right back is what Sky Lynx has to offer, especially when he sees that piece of polished white armor ripped off. Oh, and it also hurts. Though, the upper hand appears to have been gained. In spite of catching his own share of flak and shrapnel from the blast, he manages to shove Predaking's head off to the side as the fire is unleashed...oh, sorry Pug! Lynx is hurt, there's no hiding it after that fight. He rolls to his feet, finding at least one leg unable to support his weight, much less move properly, which causes him to stumble a bit uncontrollably before lowering himself down and catching himself proper. <> The Lynx takes a moment to survey his surroundings, just to make sure everyone else is at least able to keep on their feet long enough to pull back. Bug Creature <'Repugnus'> actually looks shocked that his claws failed to pierce Predaking's armor. He stands there a moment, staring at them in disbelief. "Damn. That... doesn't usually happen!" But of course, he doesn't have enough time to think about before a giant blast of flame catches him and hurls him into the air. "Wow, damn! That flame's hotter than the sun!" He crashes somewhere near Elita One--to give her company, of course. "Well, 'Lita," he says, transforming and standing back up at the same time, "I guess all those years of terrorism paid off and you wounded him a little. Gratz. But he's still not down." He pulls out his Venom Laser and aims at the beast. The creature spins and twists about into Repugnus's robot mode! The building falls, perhaps the others and Oneway's death had at least some vengeance behind it, some sense of retribution. It did its work, but the Combiner's retaliation is a heavy one to bear. She just didn't expect him to be up and mobile so fast, and she pays the price as flames engulf her, her arm instinctively covering her head, as it melts in the nuclear fire. She screams, and thankfully the fire dies down, at least for the moment. Her joints creak and snap as she throws her arm back decisively, "Eat Scrambler, you jigsawed son of a hitch!" It's good that her weapon was already out, else it might not've been able to be summoned, but it is, and it crackles to life one last time as she steps away from it. A jagged bolt of lightning makes its way back towards the gestalt. Repugnus squints down the sight of his gun. "But, eh, maybe we can slow him down?" He aims at a knee, hoping to at least cause him to stumble a bit. Combat: Repugnus compares his Agility to 85: Failure :( Combat: Repugnus compares his Accuracy to 60: Success! "Guys, get into cover!" Blurr shouts. "Get under something, anything!" he cries out as he dives under a piece of the building that had just collapsed. Despite the fact that Blurr has stopped running, there is still quite a bit of debris in the air, though slowly falling back down to the ground. And the fact that Predaking keeps spouting flame doesn't help things. More dust and bits of shrapnel either catch fire or turn into molten slag, and the heat from the initial combustion reaction expands outward from Predaking's fire blast. Burning debris is now raining down upon everyone present like a fiery shower from Hell. "Hrrgnn...I guess that wasn't such a good idea..." Repugnus tries to do a ballerina twirl for... no reason after firing, but promptly falls over onto his aft. "Oof! Well, guess I wasn't programmed for that after all!" Predaking is wounded, though his animal nature makes that a different kind of danger. Flapping its wings uselessly once more, Predaking realizes that it truly is grounded. It glares at Sky Lynx, matching roar for roar. The creature focuses all of its attention on Sky Lynx, digging furiously at the ground and leaving deep, flaming gouges in the metal. Folding its ruined wings against its body, Predaking charges, jaws wide open. It makes it half way before Repugnus's shot takes out a knee. This causes it only to stumble, but the real problem comes in the form of that damnable energon harvester. The lightning bolt hits it dead on, and the creature stops dead in its tracks, snapping at the air as it feels its strength being sapped again. It recognizes the sensation, and it also recognizes that, the /last/ time this happened, it was unable to out-muscle Sky Lynx until the effects wore off. For the first time in its 'life', Predaking reluctantly *avoids* crashing into melee out of fear that it wouldn't come out on top. It remains where it is, ignoring the bits of flaming debris that keeps raining down on it. Small chunks of metal bounce off its hide, reminiscent of a hailstorm on a roof. Its neck is starting to glow, however, as it knows full well that if it cannot tear Sky Lynx apart with its strength, it can always melt him into a puddle. Sky Lynx smirks coldly as he watches the beast turn to charge. "If that is how it shall be, then so be it, wretched cur." His legs aren't quite there, but that doesn't quite mean out of the fight yet. He braces himself for an up-close tussle... Only to watcht he brute pull out last minute? "Daresay, poor form! But I have something you don't have..." He snaps his wings out as engines kick in, another armor plate falling to the ground with a clatter as he transforms into a...shuttle? What do you get when you cross 35,000mph speeds with a metal mass? Well, let's find out, shall we? Sky Lynx transforms into an exquisitely designed transport shuttle. Repugnus frowns. Of course his Venom Laser would have a diminished effect on a combiner, but he had hoped for a little more than that. This upgrade is rather unsettling to him, but he doesn't say so out loud. "Right, that's a wash. Everybody bail!" He turns to leave, only to pause mid-stride as he hears shuttle engines roar. He turns back around. "You have got to be kidding me. SKY LYNX. Stop being a big damn hero! Ah, frakkit." He hesitates, then shakes his head and hustles off into the ruins of the planet. Blurr gets out from cover once the burning dust cloud has settled. Glancing at Predaking, he seems satisfied with the amount of damage they've done to it. Ha! Take that, Shockwave! And since the combiner is now unable to make chase without those wings of his, Blurr is quick to exit the area, heading off toward the other outposts leading to Magnaron. They needed to be warned, jamming field or not. FWBOOOM! Off he goes, disappearing into the skyline. Predaking probably wouldn't be able to match Sky Lynx's shuttle form in speed even if his wings *weren't* completely destroyed. The Predacon sees what Sky Lynx is doing, and isn't surprised in the least when it turns out the Autobot is /charging/ instead of /running/. Predaking can feel its strength regaining, but it isn't at full capacity yet. Its fight-or-flight systems kick in, and it makes the snap judgement call: FIGHT. The monster first spews the flame burst it had prepared and then charges on its four legs, ground shaking violently in order to make Blurr and Repugnus's retreat interesting. The two smash into one another, with jaws and nosecone tearing into one another. Predaking's strength has been badly sapped, but Sky Lynx likely didn't have enough run way to get up to full velocity. The end result: Predaking's head snaps backwards, struck straight on. The beast lands on its back, howling and shrieking with pain. Its maw has been horribly mangled, though, and it's struggling to get back up. How did Sky Lynx weather the impact? Magnificient Space Shuttle <'Sky Lynx'> took the impact about as gracefully as one might suspect, pulling up last-minute. Pieces of armor flake off like eggshell from the force behind the blow and his sudden rise causes him to go careening off in an uncontrolled corkscrew as a trail of energon and exhaust trails behind. He transforms... or...tries. Flight stalls out about halfway through, well, there goes flight. Landing...not so good. He forces his servos to strain one last turn out before siezing, allowing him to crash, at the very least, somewhere of his semi-choosing, rolling in a wake of debris before coming to rest, finally back in a proper form, though immobile as he simply watches the writhing Predaking through dimming optics. "Think...we shall call this a ...a draw. What say you, brute?" Sky Lynx transforms into the wondrously phenomenal form of a Sky Lynx! It isn't clear if Predaking understands Sky Lynx's words--'Shockwave' had earlier claimed that it would, but there's been little sign of it--but it definitely gets Sky Lynx's message. The monster rolls over and crouches on all fours even as Sky Lynx recovers from his crash. Predaking eyes the Autobot warily, giving a low growl before slooooowly turning away, keeping its eyes fixated on Sky Lynx for as long as it can. It's the same gesture it paid to Galvatron after being forced to stand down. Predaking is heading roughly northeast, as its instinct tells it that this is where home is. Shockwave will end up sending a team out to get it long before it reaches Polyhex on foot, however. There it can lick its wounds, rest, recover, and go back out on the hunt again. Occasionally Predaking stops and glances behind it to make sure Sky Lynx is following through with his draw. Pride demands nothing less. Repugnus stumbles on his way out but doesn't turn around to help Sky Lynx or whatever. He warned the guy. Sky Lynx is...quite content to catch his proverbial breath, his gaze following Predaking all the while until the beast is out of sight. He turns to look around at the battlefield...wait, where did Pug go? Elita One is out.. Blurr is out... He looks around for the others...nope, just him. Fantastic. He affords himself a sigh of relief before pushing himself up...and failing miserably. Maybe...he'll just rest a while. Seems like a grand idea. <'Decepticon'> Cyclonus says, "Shockwave. We need to talk." <'Decepticon'> Shockwave says, "I have received an alert that I must attend to, Cyclonus. When I return to Polyhex I will make myself available." <'Decepticon'> Cyclonus says, "Nh. Very well." <'Autobot'> Sky Lynx says, "Then quit talking *zzapt* retreat and *bbrrrrSQAWK* kill it! It is a hurd-d-d-d*crrrrrkt* to Cybertron." <'Autobot'> Blurr says, "You okay, Sky Lynx?" <'Autobot'> Repugnus says, "Eh, probably not, I've already notified base to get an extra large casket ready." <'Autobot'> Blurr says, "Well Primus, Repugnus, the way you said that I almost would've thought you were /hoping/ he wouldn't make it." <'Autobot'> Repugnus says, "And that's why I'm the chief Autobot cheerleader." <'Autobot'> Sky Lynx says, "" <'Autobot'> Grimlock says, "Somebody leave radio on!" <'Autobot'> Blurr says, "This frequency is always up, Grimlock." <'Autobot'> Sit-Com says, "we get signal" <'Autobot'> Sit-Com says, "Main screen turn on. It's you." <'Autobot'> Grimlock says, "No! Is staticky bit! Is like time Sludge sit on radio!" <'Autobot'> Grimlock says, "Sludge, that you? You sit on radio?" <'Autobot'> Sit-Com says, "Me not Sludge." <'Autobot'> Grimlock says, "Me know that." <'Autobot'> Sit-Com says, "all your base are belong to us." <'Autobot'> Sky Lynx pulses the radio static, since transmissions aren't working, it seems. Short pulse, long pulse, short pulse... short, three short...not really a pattern, but it keeps going. <'Autobot'> Grimlock says, "Uuuuuh." <'Autobot'> Grimlock says, "Me Grimlock think that mean something. Like maybe it a GHOST. RADIO GHOST." <'Autobot'> Sit-Com says, "boo." <'Autobot'> Grimlock says, "NOT YOU." <'Autobot'> Sky Lynx says, ".-. . ... - .. -. --. / ..-. --- .-. / .- / .-- .... .. .-.. . .-.-.- / ... - .. .-.. .-.. / --- -. / .... .. --. .... .-. --- .- -.. / .. ..-. / -. . . -.. . -.. .-.-.- *radio shuts off*" <'Autobot'> Grimlock says, "Oh! Oh! That like CODE." <'Autobot'> Repugnus says, "Hmmmm... yeah! I think it's Pig Latin." <'Autobot'> Grimlock says, "Me Grimlock say somebody un-code the codey thing!" <'Autobot'> Sit-Com says, "they're sending out an S-O-S, sending out an S-O-S..." <'Autobot'> Repugnus says, "I'll get right on it, Grimlock! *transmits the sound of randomly hitting keys*" <'Autobot'> Sit-Com says, "Is Chief Wiggum typing on his invisible typewriter?" <'Autobot'> Grimlock says, "Good job, Repugnus!" <'Autobot'> Repugnus says, "I translated the message! It says: 'Did anybody get the number on that freight train that hit me?'" Autobot Message: 3/110 Posted Author An Urgent Missive: Rodimus Prime Thu Apr 18 Sky Lynx ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ There are no formalities, such as the Autobot emblem, sent along with this encrypted message. It is simply the face of Sky Lynx, the typically all-white armor plating that encases his head patched up with plating of a different color, and roughly (though effectively) so. "Rodimus Prime, I have an urgent message regarding a potential problem here on Cybertron. Responding to a distress call, Elita One, Hot Spot, Blurr, Repugnus, and four of the Healthabots arrived on-site to find nothing short of a disaster. The outpost was in ruins, no survivors found. A projector with a recorded message confirmed Autobot Oneway and Hot Spot confirmed Cybertronian Drift as killed in action. One more remains to be identified. "As for the outpost itself, it appears a trap was set for us. This was no normal Decepticon, though. A true beast, Predaking to be certain, but not the one we are accustomed to dealing with." The image shifts to a point-of-view perspective of Sky Lynx' grappling with the massive dragon-styled Decepticon. "Rodimus, it is not often I will openly state that I have met an equal, if not a superior, force on the field of battle. This is one. I have received, through various reports from scouts in the area, that other outposts were hit as well. This is not something to be trifled with, and we may require aid if we are forced-no," he pauses, "when we are forced to deal with it." He glances off-camera for a moment. "Just hold off on welding for a brief moment, please. I am almost through." Looking back at the recording device, he straightens up. "Damage was minimal to surrounding structures. Elita One, aided by Blurr and Repugnus, did a spectacular job at incapacitating the beast once I had grounded it through use of controlled demolitions. However, I was damaged severely, and I know others sustained injury, however I have not been able to fully review their own files. They left the battlefield under their own power, though, which is a good sign. I will be certain to keep you posted as this situation unfolds. Lieutenant Commander Sky Lynx, out." **The transmission ends** Decepticon Message: 2/119 Posted Author AAR: Predaking at the Highroad Thu Apr 18 Shockwave ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ *** TEXT ONLY *** Predaking was picked up by my team at the eastern limits of the New Cybertron Highway, damaged from battle. Its system logs indicate that four Autobot hideouts have been located and destroyed with all opposing units exterminated. These are small one-building outpost that the Autobots have been using to resupply any personnel operating within our territory for several vorns. They escaped detection by conventional Intelligence methods, but not the upgraded Predaking. That said, Predaking appears to have encountered a stronger force it could not adequately deal with and thus it attempted to return to Polyhex. Analysis of his injuries and logs show Sky Lynx, Elita One, Blurr, and Repugnus battling him, with Elita utilizing energon dampening methods. Predaking has displayed an unhealthy fixation on Sky Lynx. Perhaps it sees him as a rival. The damage is concentrated to its wing structure, where its anti-gravs are located. Buzzkill and I will be effecting repairs and returning him to service. I do not want the Autobots or Resistance to have time to recover. - Shockwave Rumors Message: 8/2 Posted Author Predaking Rules the Skies Again Sun Apr 21 Anonymous ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ No longer just a rumour, the upgraded dragon PREDAKING has been spotted outside the Crystal City limits, constantly patrolling for any Autobot or other unauthorized travelers. The beast does not tire, does not waver, and does not show mercy. It is not discriminating with its victims--anyone not identified as a Decepticon is valid for destruction. It's clever in a ruthless animal sort of way, able to instinctively bait traps. Until dealt with, the Autobots are going to have to think up other ways to help the civilian Resistance within Crystal City. Autobot Message: 3/111 Posted Author Call To Arms Sat Apr 20 Sky Lynx ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ **The Autobot emblem is displayed rather prominently, a bold, blood red with gold trim, slowly spinning before dissolving into a shot of Sky Lynx.** "My Autobot brothers and sisters in arms. I am calling on the best of you to volunteer for an operation of the utmost importance." Images of the recent fight with a monstrous dragon of a Decepticon and several destroyed outposts are played as he speaks over it. "A new threat to Cybertron has presented itself in the form of an evolved Predaking. Already, we have lost several of our outposts, and loyal fighters for the freedom of Cybertron have fallen to it." His face returns as the images fade out. "Recently, a group of us were able to put it temporarily out of commission, but this will not last. We do not know when it will strike again, but I will imagine this to be soon. We need to destroy this creature, and that is why I call upon you. A plan is in place to topple this beast by preying on an exploitable weakness that will give us the upper hand." The camera shifts, showing the recently repaired patchwork armor, still scarred from the battle. "As you can see, it is a formidable foe. I do not promise safe return for all involved, but I expect those who volunteer to be willing to stand to the last, if needed, to eradicate this threat with me. Those who are willing, and able, are to report to Magnaron as swiftly as the shuttles can fly and seek me out. "Naturally, due to the delicate nature of this operation, details will be handled face to face." The camera returns to its normal spot, framing Sky Lynx' face. "To those who volunteer, I thank you in advance. Lieutenant Commander Sky Lynx, out."